Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa will convene a meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Sunday as government scrambles to get on top of the new Covid-19 variant that has emerged in the country.
The new variant, called B.1.1.529. has already seen several European countries including the UK, Italy and Germany ban travel from and to South Africa.
According to a statement released by the Presidency, the meeting will be for the assessment of the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic, including scientific updates.
“Alongside vaccination, the wearing of face masks, frequent washing or sanitation of hands, keeping a social distance and the avoidance of gatherings remain a proven, effective means of stopping or slowing the spread of coronavirus infection,” the statement reads, before urging South Africans to remain vigilant against Covid-19.
The statement further added that, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is in an intensive engagement with all established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the possible implications could be.
“It is not surprising that a new variant has been detected in South Africa,” comments Prof Adrian Puren, NICD Acting Executive Director.
He adds that, “Although the data are limited, our experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be.
Developments are occurring at a rapid pace and the public has our assurance that we will keep them up to date.”
The new variant of the deadly virus has been detected in South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel and Botswana.
Most of the cases are in South Africa, with experts warning that may be more contagious and better at evading vaccine immunity than previous variants.
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